Sunday, December 31, 2006

OT- Saddam Execution

Big Picture still crystal clear

Effective and proportionate. Nobody is saying you should be hanged for sheep stealing, but the evidence is now overwhelming that the death penalty does deter homicide.

That's why I back the return of capital punishment in Britain (see this blog). Although I understand the moral objections of others, I still haven't heard the compelling argument as to why an act of commission- executing killers- is morally inferior to an act of omission- not killing them and simply accepting a tripling in the number of homicide victims (cf the debate over compulsory vaccination).

Saddam's hanging? Well, personally I wouldn't have taken that voyeuristic and potentially counterproductive video. But you can't argue with the proportionality.

As to deterrence, I guess you might argue that it would take more than possible execution to deter ruthless military dictators. But given what we now know about homicide deterrence in general, the burden of proof is clearly on those who follow that line.

Predictably, none of this has been aired on the BBC's 48-hour anti-capital punishment fest. Even though they couldn't find a single Iraqi in the street to speak against it.

BOM the book now available

Drawing on six years of blogging government waste, this book shows how we spend far more than we need on our public services. It sets out the facts and explores the underlying issues. Just why does government spend so much and deliver such second rate service? Why do we put up with it? And what are the alternatives?

ABOUT BOM

Despite all the talk of cuts, government still consumes nearly half our national income. Yet many tens of billions of its spending is wasted, with taxpayers made to pick up the tab for a depressing array of overpriced sub-standard services. This is money we can no longer afford, and our National Debt is already at danger level.

If we're to avoid further decades of stagnation and austerity we urgently need to find another way. Exposing and understanding the wastefulness of government is a necessary step in the right direction.